The Kansas City Chiefs have made another trade — after acquiring edge rusher Melvin Ingram earlier today.
Moments ago at 3:36 p.m. with 24 minutes to spare before the official deadline, NFL insider Tom Pelissero announced that “the [New York] Jets are sending tight end Dan Brown to the Chiefs for guard Dr. Laurent Duvernary-Tardif.”
General manager Brett Veach has been shopping ‘LDT’ ever since the emergence of rookie right guard Trey Smith, so this one doesn’t come as a huge surprise. From the looks of the return, this appears to be a salary dump from Kansas City.
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Who Is Dan Brown?
Unfortunately, the Chiefs were not able to find a bidder that was willing to send draft capital back for Duvernay-Tardif, who has not played in an NFL game since 2019. The former Super Bowl champion’s contract was also an issue, with a $2.75 million cap hit in 2021 (post-June 1 trade) and $2 million in dead money next season according to Over The Cap.
Matt Verderame of FanSided reported that the move will save Kansas City “about $1 million in both cap space and cash.”
On the Chiefs’ side of the LDT trade, I’m told this saves about $1M in both cap space and cash, per source
Veach was able to acquire tight end depth in Brown, a seven-year NFL pro that served as one of the Jets’ top special teamers the past three seasons. In terms of offensive prowess, he has accumulated 420 total yards off 44 receptions with two career touchdowns.
Brown began his tenure in the league with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, as an undrafted wide receiver out of James Madison. He transitioned to tight end after joining the Chicago Bears in 2016.
The special teams ace did spend one season with Andy Reid disciple, Matt Nagy, in 2018 before heading to New York. He did not register a catch during that campaign.
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Will This Sell-off Lead to Something Greater?
Unless a late move is announced, the Chiefs may have made their last move of the trade deadline in 2021 but this deal does help clear the books for next year all the same.
With Veach so anxious to rid the franchise of LDT for pretty much the best offer he could get, you have to wonder what he plans to use this money towards. An early contract extension is never off the table — or an extra addition in 2022.
KC has a number of players to pay next year, including Tyrann Mathieu, Charvarius Ward and Orlando Brown among others. $2 million doesn’t sound like much but that’s actually a decent chunk of cap space for a player that has been inactive most of the season, and it all adds up in the end.
NYC here we come! #Jets
Duvernay-Tardif was a former sixth-round pick in 2014. He did not play his first NFL game until 2015, starting 57 games (60 appearances) over the next five seasons with the Chiefs. He started 14 games during the recent championship campaign, factoring in 99% of offensive snaps in those outings.
As a doctor, LDT elected to opt out in 2020, joining the front lines of the global pandemic. He waived his no-trade clause to join the Jets.
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Chiefs Move on From Laurent Duvernay-Tardif in Deadline Deal: Report